Bureau of Reclamation asks Colorado River Basin governors for input on drought plans

Feds could intervene in process if agreements aren't reached

Navajo Lake in San Juan County could be used as a storage facility for Lake Powell as part of a drought contingency plan compiled by some western governors.(Photo11: The Daily Times file photo)

FARMINGTON — The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Department of the Interior have given Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the six other governors of Colorado River Basin states from March 4-15 to provide input for a new plan to prevent Lake Powell and Lake Mead from dropping to critically low levels.

Arizona’s governor signed legislation Thursday evening that would pave the way for that state to join in the lower-basin states’ drought contingency plan, if and when they finalize it. That led the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation to issue a notice today in the Federal Register asking the seven governors for recommendations on actions that could be taken before August to reduce or mitigate risks of water shortage and the impacts of drought.

The upper basin of the Colorado River includes the San Juan and Animas rivers in San Juan County. The drought contingency plan for the upper basin calls for using Navajo Lake to balance the Lake Powell water level. Water could be released from Navajo Lake if the level in Lake Powell drops.

If the seven states do agree on drought contingency plans by March, the bureau will rescind its request for input. If that occurs, the states’ drought contingency plans likely will be used in place of the proposed federal actions.

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